Libya Rebels Say They’ve Captured Most of Strategic Western Town

Aug. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Libyan insurgents say they have
captured most of the western town of Tawarga after breaking
through government lines around the nearby city of Misrata.

Two days of battle left five anti-government fighters dead
and 46 wounded by noon local time today, said the Mujamma Aledad
Hospital in Misrata. The government didn’t release information
on casualties among Muammar Qaddafi’s forces, which are accused
by the rebels of launching missiles from Tawarga into rebel-held
Misrata, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the north.

“We control most of the town,” Adel Ibrahim of rebel-controlled Radio Misrata said today. “Qaddafi soldiers are in
the old town. There are civilians; they are using them like
hostages. Negotiations are going on.”

The capture of Tawarga would represent the first success
for rebel units based in Misrata after two months of trying to
overcome government forces that surround the city. Rebels say
they hope a victory, together with others reported in the
Western Mountains, will demonstrate to the opposition’s
international backers that they are able to break a stalemate
that has lasted more than two months.

Anti-government protests began in February and were met by
a crackdown by Qaddafi. A month later, the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization began an air campaign aimed at protecting
civilians.

The offensive to take Tawarga began early yesterday, when
rebel forces equipped with three tanks struck from the east and
south, said Commander Abdul Hassan, chief of the rebels’ Al
Horia Brigade. Sixty members of Qaddafi’s forces were taken
prisoner, he said.

Mobile-phone images taken by rebels showed what appeared to
be their units in industrial areas close to Tawarga. One fighter
is seen with a bayonet trying to scratch out the town’s name
from a large sign. Two black-painted rebel tanks taken from
government forces are seen driving toward the town.

“The battle was hard at first,” said rebel fighter
Mohammed Elfeturi. “But after that the Qaddafi guys ran away.
We captured a lot of their equipment.”

To contact the reporter on this story:
Chris Stephen in Misrata through the Dubai newsroom at
barden@bloomberg.net.